1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automatic connector assembling apparatus and to a method for assembling connectors. The connectors may be used for an automotive wiring harness and particularly a wiring harness used for an airbag.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1(A), 1(B) and 2 show a known connector that can be used in a wiring harness for an air bag and that can be assembled by an apparatus according to the present invention. The connector shown in FIGS. 1(A), 1(B) and 2 enables a wire assembly AY to be mounted into a connector housing C and locked by a lock C4.
The wire assembly AY has two wires W, terminals T crimped into connection with the ends of the wires W, and a ferrite F assembled onto the wires W at locations spaced slightly from the terminals T.
The connector housing C is formed integrally with a main body C1 that has upwardly open terminal cavities V1 and an upwardly open ferrite cavity V2 for accommodating the respective terminals T and the ferrite F of the wire assembly AY. The connector housing C also has a cover C2 for substantially covering the housing main body C1, and a connecting piece C3 that hingedly connects the main body C1 and the cover C2.
The cover C2 can be open to expose an upper part of the main body C1, including the cavities V1 and V2, before the wires W are mounted. The cover C2 then can be turned from the state of FIG. 1(A) and placed on the upper part of the main body C1 after the wires W are mounted.
As shown in FIG. 2, hinge recesses C14 are formed at opposite sides of the end of the main body C1 adjacent the connecting piece C3, and hinge projections C24 are formed at the end of the cover C2 adjacent the connecting piece C3. The hinge projections C24 can be engaged in the hinge recesses C14 to enable the cover C2 to be turned smoothly relative to the main body C1 and to maintain a precisely positioned state or relationship.
Locking claws C11 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) are formed at opposite sides of the main body C1 and substantially frame-shaped engaging portions C21 are formed at opposite sides of the cover C2. The frame-shaped engaging portions C21 are engageable with the locking claws C11 to connect the main body C1 and the cover C2 with each other in the closed condition.
The lock C4 comprises a plate C41 to be placed at a specified position on the cover C2, and a pair of locking projections C42 that extend from the plate C41. On the other hand, the cover C2 is formed with holes C22, and the main body C1 is formed with insertion holes C12 that register with the holes C22 of the cover C2 when the cover C2 is closed. The locking projections C42 are dimensioned to be inserted through the registered holes C22 and C12 during assembly of the connector. Each insertion hole C12 in the main body C1 is formed with an unillustrated locking claw, and each locking projection C42 is formed with an unillustrated arrowhead-shaped end. The arrowhead-shaped ends on the locking projections C42 engage the locking claws in the insertion holes C12 of the main body C1 to prevent removal of the lock C4.
The terminals T and the ferrite F are set in the cavities V1, V2 as the wires W are being mounted in the main body C1, as shown in FIG. 1(A). The cover C2 then is turned and closed to cover the main body C1 as shown in FIG. 1(B), and the lock C4 is inserted as indicated by arrows in FIG. 1(B) to assemble the entire connector.
The connector of FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B) has the main body C1 and the cover C2 connected by the connecting piece C3. As a result, there are several operation steps that complicate the assembly of the connector, including turning and connecting the cover C2. Consequently, the connector has been assembled manually. Further, a checking step is required to ensure that the ferrite F has not been forgotten and an electrical connection test is required for the wires W and the terminals T. Thus, the assembling operation is fairly inefficient and takes time and labor.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic connector assembling apparatus and method capable of at least partly automatically assembling a connector as described above.
The invention is directed to a connector assembling apparatus for mounting a wire assembly in a connector housing. The connector housing comprises a main body for accommodating a portion of the wire assembly, a cover connected to the main body, and a lock that can be inserted through the cover and into the main body for locking the wire assembly therein.
The apparatus comprises at least one palette for holding the main body. The apparatus also comprises an assembly pushing mechanism for substantially fully mounting the portion of the wire assembly temporarily placed in the main body while the main body is on the palette. A cover turning mechanism is provided for turning the cover relative to the main body after the assembly pushing mechanism has mounted the portion of the wire assembly. The apparatus further includes a lock inserting mechanism for inserting the lock into the connector housing after the cover is connected. A control means is provided for controllably driving the above-described mechanisms.
Preferably, the automatic connector assembling apparatus further comprises a cover pushing mechanism for pushing the turned cover against the main body to connect them. Additionally, the lock inserting mechanism inserts the lock into the connector housing after the cover is connected by the cover pushing mechanism.
The apparatus can automate mounting the wire assembly into the main body, turning the housing cover, fully mounting the housing cover on the main body, and inserting the locking member into the connector housing.
The palette preferably comprises at least one push-up projection for contacting the cover while the main body is being mounted and pushing up the cover in a state where the wire assembly is mountable. The reference to xe2x80x9ca state where the wire assembly is mountablexe2x80x9d includes both temporarily placing the wire assembly in the connector housing and fully mounting the wire assembly by the assembly pushing mechanism. In this embodiment, the cover of the connector housing is brought into contact with the push-up projection while the connector housing is being mounted on the palette to be pushed up to a specified position. Thus, the cover turning mechanism and the turning operation performed by the cover turning mechanism can be simplified. Preferably, the push-up projection is formed to position the housing cover at an obtuse angle or at substantially 90xc2x0 with respect to the housing main body.
The cover turning mechanism preferably comprises a stay that can contact the cover and turn the cover toward the main body when at least one portion of the palette is moved towards the stay.
One or more sensors preferably are provided to determine: whether an engagement of the main body and a hinge of the cover is satisfactory; whether the lock is mounted; whether at least one selected component of the wire assembly is present; and/or whether a connection of the housing main body and the housing cover is satisfactory.
In another embodiment of the invention, the assembly pushing mechanism comprises detecting elements for conducting an electrical connection test for the wire assembly while the wire assembly is being pushed. Thus, the automatic assembling and the electrical connection test can be performed simultaneously, thereby enabling efficient automatic production of higher quality connectors.
The lock inserting mechanism may comprise a lock feed unit for feeding the lock to a predetermined lock feed position, a pick-up unit for picking up the lock from the lock feed position, and a pick-up unit drive for driving the pick-up unit between the lock fee position and a position for mounting the lock into the connector housing. The control means of the apparatus may controllably link the operations of the pick-up unit, the pick-up unit drive and the cover pushing mechanism to synchronize the locking member pick-up and the cover mounting operation by the cover pushing mechanism. The lock feed position preferably is set to enable the pick-up operation and the cover mounting operation to be performed simultaneously. Thus, a working time can be shortened.
The assembly pushing mechanism may comprise a portion for resiliently pushing a component of the wire assembly into the main body simultaneously with another portion for rigidly pushing at least one other component of the wire assembly into the main body.
The invention also is directed to an automatic connector assembling method for mounting a wire assembly in the above-described connector housing. The method comprises holding the main body on a palette. The method then comprises substantially fully mounting in the main body that is on the palette the portion of the wire assembly that had been temporarily placed in the main body. The method proceeds by turning the cover onto the main body after the portion of the wire assembly is substantially fully mounted, and then inserting the lock into the connector housing after the cover is connected.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.